News / Donation offered for Relay disruption
A YOUNG man with learning difficulties who disrupted the hugely successful Shetland Relay for Life event that raised almost £300,000 for Cancer Research has offered to make a substantial donation to the charity.
Lerwick Sheriff Court heard on Thursday that unemployed 24 year old Christopher Irvine, of 6a Union Street, Lerwick, had been drinking heavily when he turned up at the Clickimin athletics track on 27 May, where 2,000 people had gathered for the 24 hour fund raising vigil.
He deliberately walked in the opposite direction to the flow of participants moving around the track, barging into them and kicking over lanterns that had been lit in memory of loved ones who had been lost to the disease, shouting: “Who the fuck is going to cure cancer!”
Procurator fiscal Duncan Mackenzie said: “It’s really quite difficult to conceive of behaviour which could be more disrespectful. I wouldn’t be overstating it to say it was down right obscene.”
Irvine was escorted off the track by some members of the local rugby team, who called the police after he challenged them to a fight.
When the officers arrived, Irvine’s 22 year old brother Shaun, of 24 Park Wynd, Sandwick, stepped in front of the police car as it attempted to drive away and was promptly arrested himself.
On Thursday the pair both admitted causing a breach of the peace, with Shaun Irvine being fined £300 for his lesser involvement in the offending.
Sentence was deferred until 10 January for reports for Christopher Irvine, after defence agent Michael Burnett said his client was deeply ashamed of this “horrible display of appalling yobbish behaviour”.
Burnett said Irvine had been so worse for wear that he only had an extremely vague memory of what happened that night, and found it hard to come to terms with his actions as he himself had lost close relatives to cancer recently.
The lawyer suggested he could perhaps make some amends by making a donation to Cancer Research as part of any court order.
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